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Macau festivals and events 2027: month-by-month calendar

Macau's calendar mixes Chinese and Portuguese Catholic traditions in a way no other city in Asia does. In one week of May you can see fishmongers dancing a drunken wooden dragon and a Catholic procession to Penha Chapel. The autumn brings the international fireworks contest and the Grand Prix through the city streets. This calendar gives the official 2027 holidays and the expected dates of the festivals.

AsiaVela editorial teamUpdated Facts checked 3 min read
Racing cars passing the barrier wall on the Guia street circuit during the Macau Grand Prix
Cars on the Guia Circuit at the Macau Grand Prix.
Suggested time
Most holidays are single days; Lunar New Year has three.
Where to stay
The Macau peninsula, near Senado Square, for the processions, the Grand Prix circuit and the fireworks.
Season and timing
May and the autumn are the liveliest festival months.

The short answer

Macau's main 2027 dates: Lunar New Year, 6-8 February, Easter (26-27 March), Ching Ming (5 April), Buddha's Birthday and the Drunken Dragon Festival (13 May), the Fatima procession (13 May), Dragon Boat (9 June), Mid-Autumn (holiday 16 September), National Day (1-2 October), the fireworks contest (usually September-October), the Macau Grand Prix (usually November) and Christmas (24-25 December). Light Up Macao runs until 10 January 2027.

How to read this calendar

The holiday dates come from the Macau government's official 2027 calendar. It separates three things: public holidays, the smaller set of obligatory holidays that private employers must give, and extra days off for public employees only. None of these tells you whether shops or sights close. Hong Kong keeps a different calendar; see Hong Kong festivals and events.

Festival dates come from the organisers or Macau's cultural heritage records. Where a festival follows the lunar calendar or a usual season, we give the expected date and say so.

January and February: Light Up Macao, New Year and Lunar New Year

Light Up Macao, the city's festival of light installations, runs from 5 December 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027.

New Year's Day, Friday 1 January, is an obligatory holiday.

Lunar New Year falls on Saturday 6 February; 6, 7 and 8 February are obligatory holidays.

A statue of Our Lady of Fatima carried through the streets of Macau in an evening procession
The 13 May procession of Our Lady of Fatima.

March and April: Easter and Ching Ming

Good Friday, 26 March, and Saturday 27 March are public holidays for Easter.

Ching Ming, the festival for remembering ancestors, falls on Monday 5 April, and Labour Day on Saturday 1 May.

Fireworks bursting over the water with Macau Tower lit up behind
A night of the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest.

May: the Drunken Dragon and the Fatima procession

Thursday 13 May is a big day in Macau. It is Buddha's Birthday, a public holiday, and the main day of the Festival of the Drunken Dragon, the fishmongers' festival: wooden dragon and lion dances, a Drunken Dragon Parade and the sharing of longevity rice, with the traditional meal on the eve, 12 May. The 2027 programme had not been announced.

The same day brings the Procession of Our Lady of Fatima, held on 13 May each year: Catholic faithful, local and from abroad, walk from St Dominic's Church to Penha Chapel with rosary prayers and hymns.

June to October: Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, fireworks and National Day

The Dragon Boat Festival, Wednesday 9 June, is a public holiday. The 2027 dates of the international dragon boat races had not been announced.

The Mid-Autumn Festival evening should be Wednesday 15 September; the holiday is the day after, Thursday 16 September.

The Macao International Fireworks Display Contest usually runs on several Saturdays in September and October and on National Day, with teams from around the world; the 2027 nights had not been announced.

National Day, Friday 1 October, and the day after are public holidays, and Chung Yeung, Friday 8 October, is another.

Costumed performers in a street parade in Macau's historic centre
A street parade in Macau's historic centre.

November and December: the Grand Prix and the year-end holidays

The Macau Grand Prix is held every year in November on the Guia Circuit, through the streets of the peninsula. The 2027 race dates had not been announced when we checked.

Macao SAR Establishment Day, Monday 20 December, Winter Solstice, Wednesday 22 December, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 24-25 December, close the year.

Practical questions

When is the Macau Grand Prix 2027?

In November, as every year, on the Guia Circuit. The 2027 race dates had not been announced in October 2026.

When is the Macau fireworks contest 2027?

Usually on several Saturdays in September and October and on National Day, 1 October. The 2027 nights had not been announced.

When is Lunar New Year 2027 in Macau?

Saturday 6 February 2027; 6, 7 and 8 February are obligatory holidays.

What happens in Macau on 13 May?

In 2027 it is Buddha's Birthday, the main day of the fishmongers' Drunken Dragon Festival and the day of the Fatima procession from St Dominic's Church to Penha Chapel.

Are Macau's public holidays the same as Hong Kong's?

No. Macau has its own calendar, with holidays such as Winter Solstice and Christmas Eve that Hong Kong does not have, and no Easter Monday.

Sources and checks before you travel

Reference sources for the version dated 22 October 2026. Confirm opening times, access, transport and conditions for your travel dates.

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Photo credits

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